Pliny's Letter To Trajan Analysis

Improved Essays
Pliny was a civil servant of the governor of Bithynia from 111.113 A.D. This letter from Pliny to Trajan is one of the most famous letter in the history of Christianity, written around 112 A.D., which he wrote when he met Christians for the first time in his district and didn’t know how to deal with them. At first, he did few things but, then he thought to write a letter to the Emperor of Trajan describing what he had done so far and asking for the guidance for the coming days.
This famous letter is a letter asking for the advice to the Emperor when Christians started to increase in his region and he was pressurized for the best solution rather than executing the Christians. Pliny has also written in the letter that he was executing Christians

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Livy: The Roman Way of Declaring War The way of declaring war remained an extremely important topic when it came to the romans. The romans believed if that if they did not observe all necessary formalities in beginning hostilities, then the angry gods would turn the luck towards the Romans enemy. The fourth king of Rome, Ancus Marcius, was originally a peaceful and skilled solider but while in war with Latin he is known to have instituted what is now known by the romans as war (The Conquered). These ways of war are declared in Livy: The Roman Way of Declaring War.…

    • 962 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Trajan was a Roman emperor of the early Roman Empire that had ruled from AD 98 until AD 117. Trajan's full name is Marcus Ulpius Trajan. Trajan was born on September 18 around the year AD 52 in Italica, near Seville. Trajan came from a Spanish origin, making him the first ever emperor to come from Italy. His father was also by the name of Marcus Ulpius Trajan.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Tacitus Analytical Essay

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The text begins with the death of Augustus followed by Tiberius’s reign, a period of Roman Republic. The Senate played a huge part in this aristocratic government, leading to competition for control of the Republic; With the assassination of Julius Caesar, Augustus began to modify the system. He discussed important matters with other senators although it was obvious that only his decisions counted. Tacitus, however, decided to write about the period after Augustus’s death, when the rule of Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius and Nero were falsely outlined.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He was also known to have made sacrifices in the honor of fallen comrades after victories in battle. He himself was the chief agent in these sacrifices since he was the “Pontifex Maximus” or “High Priest” (Pollen). Letters between Trajan and Pliny the Younger show Trajan’s views on Christianity. During that time, Christianity mainly appealed to women and slaves. Trajan restrained would-be persecutors and insisted that all Christians be given fair trials.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Acquired immense popularity Gallic War, people in Rome Pompey uneasy. Plus 53 BC, Crassus was defeated Parthian conquests killed three political instability, the Senate homeopathic draw Pompey. 49 years ago, the Senate also issued a call to Caesar commands, command Caesar back to Rome, Caesar letter expressed the hope to extend the term of office of the Governor of Gaul, the Senate not only refused, the Senate also issued a final advice indicates if Caesar does not return immediately Rome will be declared Caesar enemy for the country. Caesar legions to the border with Rubicon. Roman law, commanders are not available with any army crossed the Rubicon, otherwise it is a betrayal of Rome.…

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pliny the Younger, nephew of Pliny the Elder, was a civil servant that governed Bithynia. He was the first to encounter Christians, and was confused on how to adapt to it. So, he wrote a letter to Trajan asking for assistance. This is the soonest inner record demonstrating the Roman Empire's demeanor and arrangement towards the congregation. In addition, Pliny does students of history the immense support of portraying what he has found about the way Christians venerated.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the two texts that we read in class, Plato, Phaedo, and Lucretius, Nature of Things, both Socrates and Lucretius try to reassure us that we should not be afraid of death. In Plato, Phaedo, Phaedo is telling the story of Socrates’s final hours from being their first hand. In Lucretius, Nature of Things, Lucretius’s telling his view on religious issues and how he got to his view, poetic skills, and study on scientific phenomena. Both Socrates and Lucretius have different arguments on why we should not be afraid of death. Socrates and Lucretius would have their own responses to each other 's argument if they were to reply to each other.…

    • 1540 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Cicero: Laulius de Amictia “On Friendship” In present time, a friendship is often known to be a valuable thing in life, a friend is a gift that is cherished for those who have good friendships. A friendship is shown in various ways and has different meanings a friend is a friend who is someone outside your family who you can trust and rely on. In history there have been alliances between countries, in which it could have extended to having an acquaintance or even as a friendship agreement between leaders. In previous decades though what did friendship mean and was it valued the way friendship is presently.…

    • 1779 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Afterwards Galelious did same thing to Christian twice in fifteen days. It compelled the empire in that period-Diocletian to make decision to kill Christians. And for incite people to hate Christian, many Politicians started rumors to Christian, like when Christians sacrifice God, they killed infant and drink their blood, ate the meat. And they said Christian incest a lot.…

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Ignatius of Antioch and his Letter to the Magnesians Ignatius of Antioch was a key figure in the development and defending of orthodox thought in the beginnings of Christianity. Sentenced to death for his Christian beliefs, Ignatius wrote seven letters on his way to Rome to be put to death. These seven letters offered encouragement, instruction, and inspiration to the new Christians in communities he passed through. In his “Letter to the Magnesians”, specifically chapters eight and nine, Ignatius warns of the dangers of false doctrines and fables, but also encourages the people on their Christian journey.…

    • 1598 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    A Plea for the Christians was written by Athenagoras the Athenian in 177 A.D. This was written to the emperor and his co-ruler son as a plea for Christianity. The purpose of A Plea for the Christians was to show the ridiculousness and cruelty against Christians (Knight). A Plea for the Christians begins with Athenagoras explaining the three pagan accusations against Christians: atheism, incest and cannibalism. He used Greek philosophy and Christian theology to support his plea while writing respectfully to the emperor and his accusers. Athenagoras talks about the accusation of atheism, and outlines the Christian beliefs of God.…

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Flavian Religion Essay

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Flavian Policies and the Roman Religious Atmosphere During the Flavian Dynasty, the church suffered tremendous persecution as the Emperors attempt to eradicate those that practice Christian faith. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote specifically to address the persecution of the saints and encourage them to remain in the faith. Jude spoke directly to their hearts encouraging the church to “contend for the faith” in Jude 3.…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Peter the Hermit and his People’s Crusade was an especially significant moment in European Christianity and a defining moment of the High Middle Ages, not only in the sense that it demonstrates how essential religion was in the lives of people at the time, but also in how it set the stage for the divisions; between people and their beliefs, between the West and the East and between Christianity and all other faiths. In the year 1095 Pope Urban II addressed the Council of Clermont in response to a letter he had received from Alexios I Komnenos, the Byzantine Emperor, requesting aid to fight the Seljuq Turks who had conquered most of Asia Minor . In his speech, Urban II, in front of a great crowd, urged all to assist the Greeks and to help recover Palestine from the rule of the Muslims “Your brethren who live in the East are in urgent need of your help, and you must…

    • 1820 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Having the views of the common people almost always results in your favor. It gives the conspirators strength in numbers to overcome their opposition. In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the Plebeians are easily manipulable and change their opinion three major times. The Plebeians are not deep thinkers about these decisions like Brutus had been with Cassius’ persuasiveness to murder Caesar, they simply make their decisions on their feet. The Plebeians support one side of a story and then completely change their opinions to support the opposite side.…

    • 1120 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Claudius is a manipulative and spiteful major character (and antagonist) in the play “Hamlet”. Claudius is the new king of Elsinore after he kills the previous king, who was also his brother, king Hamlet, by pouring poison in his ear during his nap time. Hamlet is the only one that knows of Claudius’s deeds as the ghost of King Hamlet told him that, “The serpent that did sting thy father 's life Now wears his crown.”, in which the serpent that he refers to is Claudius. In the beginning, one could actually picture Claudius as a capable ruler as he fixes the tension with Norway and addresses his brother’s death. he was really manipulating his way to the throne as he convinces the court to accept his marriage with Gertrude by saying, “Yet so far…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays